Aortic Insufficiency
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Aortic insufficiency is a condition of the heart valve in which the aortic
valve of the heart weakens, preventing the valve from closing tightly.
This leads to backward flow of blood from the aorta into the left ventricle.
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Aortic insufficiency can result from any condition that weakens the aortic
valve like rheumatic fever, congenital valvular abnormalities, endocarditis,
high blood pressure, Marfan's syndrome, aortic dissection (a tear in the
lining of the aorta), ankylosing spondylitis, Reiter's syndrome and syphilis.
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About five in every 10,000 people have this disorder in the United States.
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- Uneasy feeling due to marked palpitations
- Irregular, rapid, racing or pounding pulse
- Fainting and weakness with activity
- Shortness of breath with activity or when lying down
- Fatigue
- Chest pain under the sternum. The pain may be crushing, squeezing,
pressure like, or a feeling of tightness. The pain may increase with
exercise and relieved with rest
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- On listening to the chest with a stethoscope a heart murmur can be
detected.
- Examination of the chest by hand may show very forceful beating of
the heart.
- The diastolic blood pressure may be low.
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- If the disease is asymptomatic or if symptoms are mild, the patient
may may only require observation.
- However, if the symptoms are severe, hospitalization may be necessary.
- Medications such as diuretics (water pills) or digoxin may be used
to stabilize the condition even in people with mild symptoms to prevent
the symptoms from worsening.
- Restriction of moderate activity may be recommended.
- Replacement of the aortic valve surgically corrects aortic insufficiency.
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Aortic insufficiency can be completely cured with surgical replacement
of the aortic valve. The symptoms can be completely relieved. However,
in the presence of severe heart failure, other complications like left-sided
heart failure, pulmonary edema or endocarditis may develop
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- Endocarditis
- Congestive Heart Failure due to inability of the heart to pump sufficient
blood to meet your body's needs.
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- Streptococcal infection of the throat should be treated promptly
to prevent rheumatic fever, which can cause aortic stenosis.
- Any dental work like cleaning or any invasive procedure can introduce
bacteria into the bloodstream. This bacteria can infect a weakened
valve causing endocarditis.
Follow your physicians treatment recommendations for conditions that
may cause valve disease. Notify your physician if there is a family
history of congenital heart diseases.
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